The University of Akron Athletics
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Five Zips Score in Double Digits in Akron's 88-57 Victory Over Ohio Wesleyan
November 08 | Men's Basketball
AKRON, Ohio - Five Zips scored at least 10 points as Akron defeated the Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops 88-57 at James A. Rhodes Arena Friday evening.
In addition to it being the home opener for the Zips, the Blue and Gold honored its 2023-24 MAC Tournament Championship squad.
The Zips (1-1) were led by Bowen Hardman, who had 15 points. Isaiah Gray added 13 points on a 5-for-5 shooting night from the field. Sharron Young chipped in with 13 points off the bench on a 5-of-7 shooting night while Nate Johnson added 11 and James Okonkwo supplied 10.
Amani Lyles filled up the stat sheet for the Zips, finishing with eight rebounds, four points, four assists, one steal and one block.
Akron did a stellar job moving the basketball as they dished out 28 assists. Johnson and Seth Wilson both supplied seven assists to paced the Zips.
Akron forced 16 Ohio Wesleyan turnovers while committing 11 themselves in Friday's game. The Zips turned those takeaways into 20 points on the other end of the floor. Johnson's four steals led the way for Akron.
How It Happened
Akron started out the scoring by going on a 7-0 run, culminating in a bucket from James Okonkwo, to take an early lead with 17:49 left in the first half. The Zips then added eight points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 41-26 advantage. Akron relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down seven shots to account for 21 of its 41 points.
Following intermission, Akron kept widening that lead, expanding it to 71-51 before going on a 7-0 run, finished off by Hardman's three, to grow the lead to 78-51 with 4:52 to go in the contest. The Zips kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 88-57 win. Akron shot well from three-point range in the half, hitting eight shots from deep to score 24 of its 47 points.
Game Notes
» The Zips shot well from three point range, knocking down 15 of 35 long range attempts.» The Zips held the Battling Bishops to only 38.9 percent shooting from the field.
» Akron never trailed on the way to an 88-57 victory.
» The Zips put on a passing clinic, recording an assist on 80 percent of made field goals.
» The Akron bench came alive by adding 43 points to its scoring output.
» Five Akron players scored 10 or more points.
» Hardman and Young came off the bench to score 15 and 13 points, respectively.
» Akron had a 36-27 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Akron defense forced 16 turnovers.
» The Zips were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording five blocks as a team.
» Akron turned the ball over 11 times while dishing out 28 assists.
» Bowen Hardman led the Zips with 15 points.
» Akron got a game-high eight rebounds from Lyles.
What's Next?
The Zips travel to California to battle Saint Mary's on Tuesday, November 12 for a 10 p.m. ET start.
